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QUIT YOUR WHINING!Fox News' Trey Gowdy and Andrew McCarthy unpack the debates surrounding President Biden's pardon of son Hunter and President-elect Trump picking Kash Patel to head the FBI on 'Special Report.' President-elect Trump announced last week that he intends to nominate former White House aide and longtime ally Kash Patel to serve as FBI director, potentially making him the only U.S. president to have fired and installed two separate FBI directors in the middle of their 10-year terms. "Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump said in a social media post announcing his intent to nominate Patel for FBI director. "He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution." Patel is a close ally of the president-elect and served in the first Trump administration both as a deputy assistant and as the senior director for counterterrorism. He was endorsed on Friday by the National Police Association, which praised Patel's record of "transparency" and "accountability" that it said makes him well-positioned to head up the nation's sprawling law enforcement agency. KASH PATEL: MILLEY, BIDEN ADMIN ‘PEDDLING FALSE FACTS’ ON CHINA PHONE-CALL CONTROVERSY President-elect Trump nominated Kash Patel as FBI director over the weekend. (Getty Images) Still, news of Trump's plans to nominate Patel was met with criticism — if not shock — from others in the law enforcement community. That's because replacing a sitting FBI director is a controversial move that breaks with the express purpose of the role, which, under post-Watergate laws, mandated that directors are nominated for 10-year terms: an express length of time designed to allow the directors — at least in theory — to operate outside political pressure or interference from a sitting president. Trump sent shock waves through the law enforcement community in 2017 when he fired then-FBI Director James Comey, who at the time was less than four years into his 10-year term. Trump also personally selected current FBI Director Christopher Wray — whom he praised at the time as a "fierce guardian of the law and model of integrity" — to replace him. For Trump to install Patel as FBI director, two things must happen: Wray must exit the job, and Patel must earn Senate confirmation. How Wray will leave remains unclear. He could opt to voluntarily vacate the position on his own before Trump's inauguration, though he has not yet said whether he plans to do so. If Wray does not voluntarily vacate his position, Trump could be the only president in U.S. history to have fired and installed two separate FBI directors. TRUMP TRANSITION SIGNS AGREEMENT FOR FBI BACKGROUND CHECKS Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray prepares to testify before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 2021. (Sarah Silbiger/Pool via Reuters) Patel must also be confirmed by the Senate, though it is likely that the Republican-led chamber will move to approve him for the role. Patel's nomination has sparked early criticism from some Democrats ahead of his confirmation hearing, who have cited his previous vows to prosecute journalists and career officials at the Justice Department and FBI that he sees as being part of the "deep state." He has since attempted to clarify some of those remarks. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Only one other FBI director has been fired in U.S. history: William Sessions, a Reagan appointee who was widely disliked both for being an ineffective leader and for using his post to commandeer limousines and private government flights for personal business, among other things. Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.From the Snakepit to Switzerland: the story of NSW's oldest basketballer
December 18, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread by Hebrew University of Jerusalem A recent study led by researchers from the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University—Hadas Goldgeier, Dr. Antoine Muller, and Prof. Leore Grosman—introduces a new computational method to analyze the architectural development of early settlements. By offering an objective and repeatable approach to examining architectural remains, the study gives a new perspective on the transition from round to rectangular structures during the Neolithic period in the Near East. Architectural forms have long been tied to societal shifts such as changes in social organization , demographics, and economic strategies. However, traditional interpretations of early architecture have relied on qualitative methods, which may oversimplify complex trends. This study, now published in Archaeological Research in Asia , provides a fresh perspective by digitizing building outlines and employing computational tools to objectively quantify their two-dimensional morphology. Using measures like the directionality of normal vectors and minimum angles, the team analyzed 118 structures from 23 sites across the Mediterranean region and Jordan Valley, dating from the Natufian culture to the early Neolithic (15,000–8,500 years ago). The results revealed a far more nuanced picture than the conventional "round-to-rectangular" narrative suggests. Structures with right angles, previously associated with later architectural phases, were found as early as the Natufian period, reflecting significant advances in building technology at an earlier stage than previously thought. Moreover, the variability in structure shapes was highest during the Natufian and early Neolithic periods, reflecting a lack of formalized conventions. Later in the Neolithic, however, architectural forms showed greater uniformity, potentially signaling the emergence of codified building traditions. This study not only challenges traditional interpretations but also highlights the social and technological changes accompanying the transition to permanent settlements and agricultural economies. The computational methodology offers an innovative lens to understand architectural history, demonstrating how quantitative analyses can uncover trends that remain hidden in qualitative approaches. By emphasizing the dynamic variability and technological ingenuity of early builders, this research sheds new light on the inception of architecture in the Levant and underscores the importance of integrating modern analytical tools into archaeological studies . More information: Hadas Goldgeier et al, A computational perspective on the dynamics of early architecture, Archaeological Research in Asia (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2024.100571 Journal information: Archaeological Research in Asia, Provided by Hebrew University of JerusalemNEW YORK — The man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was not a client of the medical insurer and may have targeted it because of its size and influence, a senior police official said Thursday. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York in an interview Thursday that investigators have uncovered evidence that Luigi Mangione had prior knowledge UnitedHealthcare was holding its annual investor conference in New York City. Mangione also mentioned the company in a note found in his possession when he was detained by police in Pennsylvania. Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday in Hollidaysburg, Pa. "We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America. So that's possibly why he targeted that company," Kenny said. UnitedHealthcare is in the top 20 largest U.S. companies by market capitalization but is not the fifth largest. It is the largest U.S. health insurer. Mangione remains jailed without bail in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Monday after being spotted at a McDonald's in the city of Altoona, about 230 miles west of New York City. His lawyer there, Thomas Dickey, said Mangione intends to plead not guilty. Dickey also said he had yet to see evidence decisively linking his client to the crime. Mangione's arrest came five days after the caught-on-camera killing of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was arrested on December 9, 2024, after a six-day manhunt and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. His arrest has sparked a viral social media movement, with many hailing him as a symbol of resistance against systemic healthcare failures. The #FreeLuigi movement gained significant traction, with his social media profiles amassing over 100,000 new followers before being suspended. Despite this, the movement continues to trend, highlighting public discontent with the U.S. healthcare system. Some social media users argue that Mangione's radicalization stemmed from the struggles faced by millions in obtaining necessary healthcare, and not from his university education. Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona led to the seizure of a "ghost gun," a suppressor, fake IDs, and a manifesto criticizing the healthcare system. While the manifesto seems to admit guilt, some users question Mangione's responsibility, pointing out discrepancies in surveillance photos. The fascination with Mangione has only intensified, with discussions about his attractiveness and comparisons to characters in Ryan Murphy's productions. The phenomenon is reminiscent of society's long-standing obsession with infamous criminals, blurring lines between horror and hero worship. Former FBI agent Rob D’Amico noted that Mangione is seen by some as a "Robin Hood" figure fighting against corporate greed, which complicates the investigation. Police say the shooter waited outside the hotel, where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, early Dec. 4. He approached Thompson from behind and shot him before fleeing on a bicycle through Central Park. Mangione is fighting attempts to extradite him back to New York so that he can face a murder charge in Thompson's killing. A hearing was scheduled for Dec. 30. The 26-year-old, who police say was found with a " ghost gun " matching shell casings found at the site of the shooting, is charged in Pennsylvania with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Luigi Mangione was arrested Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in what law enforcement has called a "targeted attack." Mangione is from a prominent Maryland family with extensive business interests. The Mangione family is known for developing real estate and running businesses. Relatives expressed shock over the arrest and offered condolences to Thompson’s family. Mangione faces multiple charges, including murder, firearm possession, and forgery, in New York and Pennsylvania. Mangione is an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family. In posts on social media, Mangione wrote about experiencing severe chronic back pain before undergoing a spinal fusion surgery in 2023. Afterward, he posted that the operation was a success and that his pain improved and mobility returned. He urged others to consider the same type of surgery. On Wednesday, police said investigators are looking at his writings about his health problems and his criticism of corporate America and the U.S. health care system. Kenny said in the NBC interview that Mangione's family reported him missing to San Francisco authorities in November. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Government does not want to get blindsided by the multiple effects of artificial intelligence, so tech leaders have come together to form the GovAI Coalition, to shape policies and practices to use — and corral — this quickly emerging development. “We have to hold hands as we are crossing this river, because, we don’t know what to expect,” , San José chief information officer and head of the Department of Information Technology, told an audience at the GovAI Coalition Summit* Thursday. The gathering in San José convened hundreds of technologists from the public and private sectors to discuss the opportunities, challenges and concerns surrounding AI. The GovAI Coalition coalesced in November 2023 with 50 people on a Zoom call. Today, it includes some 1,700 professionals from about 550 government organizations. “There are risks that come along with this [AI]. And we have to think about those risks as we’re looking to deploy,” Dan Clarke, president of AI governance platform Truyo, said during a panel with Bianca Lochner, Scottsdale, Ariz., CIO, about some of the policies surrounding the use of AI in her city. Scottsdale has an AI review committee to examine use cases, risks and concerns related to new technologies. “We need to make sure that we have a robust governing structure in place to ensure ethical and transparent use of those innovations,” Lochner said during the panel, adding there needs to be a clear framework for risk management, “to ensure that we minimize the risk to the public, but also maintaining public trust.” These are the kinds of policy conversations happening in the GovAI Coalition, to ensure AI tools are not rolled out haphazardly or withheld because government leaders lack the confidence good public policy brings. “If any of us get a black eye for implementing the wrong AI, then all of us will have a black eye. One system that goes wrong can compromise our credibility nationwide,” said Tawfik, who characterized AI as a bit of déjà vu. “I’ve seen this movie before,” he remarked, recalling areas of interest like cybersecurity or social media, waves that started small and grew into a tsunami of worry — and opportunity — for government technology departments. “If we knew in 2000 what we know today, and we did just 1 percent, we would have been ahead,” Tawfik said of cybersecurity. “Even in San José, we were not ready,” he said of AI. “We were shocked. We anticipated ChatGPT, or generative AI, to be as advanced — eventually. We did not expect it to happen so fast. And definitely, we did not expect it to be open to the public, for everyone to access, so fast. That caught us by surprise.” “And this is really one of the things we are trying to do with the Coalition,” he said. “How do we learn from our mistakes — our past — so that we can be better positioned with AI in 2050.” Government Technology
Phillips-based school district agrees on how to spend remaining nutrition fundsWASHINGTON — State Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, said Friday he plans to meet with top University of Texas System officials after they announced a plan to provide free tuition and waived fees to students whose families make $100,000 or less. While many elected officials have praised the initiative , Harrison criticized it as an “abuse of power” that makes Texas higher education “more socialist than California.” Harrison said Friday he’s unswayed by statements from the system and supporters who say the move will be funded from university endowments, not taxpayers. Harrison compared such statements to someone saying they’re removing water from the shallow side of a pool, not the deep end. It’s all the same water. “Money is fungible, so that doesn’t satisfy me in the slightest,” Harrison said. The new initiative is an expansion of the Promise Plus Program, a needs-based financial aid initiative, and comes amid widespread concerns about the effect of inflation and college costs on families. Gov. Greg Abbott recently prohibited Texas colleges and universities from raising tuition for the next two years. UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken hailed the expansion as a “game changer” that will make “enormous, real difference” to improve college access for all Texans. Not everyone is a fan. Harrison and like-minded House colleagues have compared it to President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan that drew intense blowback from conservatives and was largely struck down by the courts . They also said such a consequential change in policy should come from the elected lawmakers serving in the Legislature. “There must be consequences,” Harrison said on X . “UT’s budget must be cut, and bureaucrats should be fired.” He led 10 Republican lawmakers, most of them incoming freshmen, in a letter to the regents demanding answers to a litany of questions, including the price tag of the expansion and the source of that money. “What specific statutory authority did the regents rely on to make a decision this consequential, which will have direct financial consequences for our constituents, many of whom are already struggling to put gas in their tanks and food on their tables?” the lawmakers wrote. UT System spokesman Paul Corliss has said the program is not funded through taxes or any kind of public subsidy. “Rather it is funded through existing UT System endowments,” Corliss said. Rep. Donna Howard, a Democrat, hammered that point in a response to Harrison on social media. “There are no tax dollars involved,” Howard said on X . “Higher Ed institutions are already helping families afford college. This expands philanthropic endowments and helps meet affordability goals of (Abbott and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board).” Harrison and his colleagues will have to contend with many members of the public embracing a plan that already is encouraging young people to adjust their higher education aspirations. Frank Whitefeather, a high school senior, stayed up until 2:30 a.m. Friday working on his college application essay. He was freshly motivated after the announcement that students whose families make less than $100,000 annually will get free tuition and waived fees at the University of Texas, Austin and other schools in the UT System. “I wouldn’t be in debt,” said Whitefeather, 17. “I wouldn’t have to have student loans.” Whitefeather, who attends Dallas ISD’s Sunset High School, thinks the UT news also could change many of his peers’ lives. It’s already changing his plans. Whitefeather hopes to study engineering and be his own boss one day. Texas A&M and UT Austin were his top two choices, but the free tuition announcement has pushed UT ahead. Harrison said the university system is being contradictory by simultaneously saying it has enough money to offer tuition-free education, but also that a tuition freeze could leave it cash strapped and require more funding from the Legislature. “I guarantee you they’re going to be requesting more tax money from the Legislature next session,” he said. ©2024 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok’s petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company’s challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court’s opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting ans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, it’s also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a yearslong saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect. The European Union on Friday expressed similar concerns as it investigates intelligence that suggests Russia possibly abused the platform to influence the elections in Romania. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republicans and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three denied TikTok’s petition. In the court’s ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok’s main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder, or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to “suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court, issued a concurring opinion. TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators — for which the company is covering legal costs — as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Other organizations, including the Knight First Amendment Institute, had also filed amicus briefs supporting TikTok. “This is a deeply misguided ruling that reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly and gives the government sweeping power to restrict Americans’ access to information, ideas, and media from abroad,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the organization. “We hope that the appeals court’s ruling won’t be the last word.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who had pushed for the legislation celebrated the court’s ruling. “I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who co-authored the law, said “it’s time for ByteDance to accept” the law. To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data. The company has also argued the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient. Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm — the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan — would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital. A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a A Boston city councilor was arrested Friday on federal fraud U.S. stocks rose to records Friday after data suggested the The Nov. 29 print edition of The Business Journal included
